Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations like Petco Park in San Diego, Angel Stadium, Disneyland or FivePoint Amphitheatre in Orange County, Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

No matter what the venue or type of event, some of the biggest complaints from Southern Californians about heading out to experience live entertainment have always been about traffic and the availability – and price – of parking, whether for a concert, a food, wine or beer festival, a family outing at a theme park or taking in a sporting event with friends.

Yes, millions of people are on the freeways and side streets at any given moment and parking close to your final destination does come at a premium cost – as much as $60-$100 for larger events – but more patrons are opting to use public transportation to and from their extracurricular activities.

More entertainment and sporting venues are starting to be built near train or bus stations or certainly with future public transportation plans and expansions in mind. The all-new Banc of California Stadium, located in Exposition Park next to the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, home to the Los Angeles Rams and USC Trojans football teams, is also a short walk away from public transportation with the Los Angeles Metro Expo Line being just a quick venture through the Rose Garden. The Expo Lines can be easily accessed by patrons coming into the Los Angeles Union Station via train.

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations like Petco Park in San Diego, Angel Stadium, Disneyland or FivePoint Amphitheatre in Orange County, Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

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Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations like Petco Park in San Diego, Angel Stadium, Disneyland or FivePoint Amphitheatre in Orange County, Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations like Petco Park in San Diego, Angel Stadium, Disneyland or FivePoint Amphitheatre in Orange County, Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations in San Diego, Orange County, Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations like Petco Park in San Diego, Angel Stadium, Disneyland or FivePoint Amphitheatre in Orange County, Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations like Petco Park in San Diego, Angel Stadium, Disneyland or FivePoint Amphitheatre in Orange County, Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner train is offering a variety of deals all summer long for passengers taking public transportation to popular destinations like Petco Park in San Diego, Angel Stadium, Disneyland or FivePoint Amphitheatre in Orange County, Downtown Los Angeles and Downtown Santa Barbara. (Photo courtesy of Amtrak)

“It has been one of our priorities to partner with some of the great destinations and venues along our route,” says Michael Litschi, Amtrak Pacific Surfliner managing deputy. “There are a lot of venues in cities that are extremely walkable from the train stations and we want to offer people a unique experience on the train to get to some of those destinations and to be free of the stress that people experience while they’re stuck in traffic or running late because of traffic.”

Knowing the amount of people that will be pouring into various areas of Southern California during the summer months, Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner already has a few promotions going to encourage taking the train. With the Friends & Family Hug the Coast promotion, riders can purchase one full-fare adult ticket on the Pacific Surfliner to Ventura, Santa Barbara or San Luis Obispo and get up to three additional passengers on the same reservation at a 50 percent discount with promo code V346. The offer is valid on tickets purchased through Monday, June 25. There’s also the FivePoint Amphitheatre BOGO, in which concertgoers can purchase one adult train ticket to select shows at the Irvine venue and get one adult ticket free with promo code V316. However, Litschi said that there will be numerous other deals announced via pacificsurfliner.com/discounts throughout the summer.

“One of our messages is really just letting people in Southern California know that there is a train service right in their own back yard,” he said. “What we see is that once people try it, they’re hooked. They may not realize that they do have all of these options for public transportation and they may be hesitant to try it for the first time, but once they do and they see how easy and convenient it can be, they usually keep coming back.”

There are other perks that come with taking the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner such as outlets to keep your electronics charged, W-Fi, a Cafe Car that serves sandwiches, chips, snacks, soft drinks, coffee, tea, wine, cocktails and a selection of craft beer from brewers such as Firestone Walker Brewing Company, Stone Brewing, AleSmith Brewing and Island Brewing Company.

Here are just some of the major destinations patrons can get to by using the Pacific Surfliner this summer.

San Diego

Taking the train is a good option if you’re traveling to a San Diego Padres game at Petco Park or making the trek down for Comic-Con in July. From the Santa Fe Depot, sports fans or cosplayers can either take the 20-or-so minute walk or opt to hop on the southbound Green Line Trolley to the Gaslamp Quarter Station (a day pass for the trolley is $5) to the ballpark or San Diego convention center. Grabbing the Pacific Surfliner from stations in Los Angeles or Orange counties can also make for a quick getaway for couples or groups of friends looking to hit the Gaslamp Quarter and its dozens of bars, clubs, cocktail lounges, restaurants, small music venues and the surrounding craft breweries. Pacific Surfliner also has stops at stations in Oceanside, Carlsbad, Solana Beach, Sorrento Valley and the Old Town Station in San Diego.

Of course, with FivePoint Amphitheatre basically butting up against the train tracks at the Irvine station, it makes it a breeze to get in and out of a concert. The stop at the Fullerton station brings riders into the heart of downtown Fullerton where there are lots of live music, bars and restaurants with popular, rockstar chefs. Pacific Surfliner also stops in San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano and Santa Ana in Orange County.

Los Angeles

There’s a lot to do in Los Angeles which is why Union Station is such a popular destination. There’s plenty within walking distance of the station including Walk Disney Concert Hall, Grand Central Market, The Museum of Contemporary Art, Chinatown and Olvera Street. Those wanting to hit up Universal Studios Hollywood can take the train to Union Station and then hop on the LA Metro red line to Universal/Studio City Station (It’s $1.75 per trip or $7 per day and a $1 TAP card is needed). Dodgers fans can also grab the Dodger Stadium Express bus from the L.A. station for free by showing their game ticket or paying the one-way fare of $1.75 without a ticket.

Getting to Staples Center to see the L.A. Kings, Lakers, Clippers or a concert is as easy as catching either the purple or red LA Metro lines to 7th Street/Metro Center Station. The same mode of transportation can be used to visit the restaurants and venues at L.A. Live including the Grammy Museum, the Novo and Microsoft Theater. Pacific Surfliner also has stops in Glendale, Burbank, Van Nuys and Chatsworth.

Santa Barbara

On top of being one of the most scenic and gorgeous stops along the Pacific Surfliner route, the Santa Barbara station is also super convenient. It’s located in the heart of the downtown area, close to numerous restaurants, hotels, wine tasting rooms and a ton of other activities. The journey is perfect for couples or groups of friends looking to unwind. There are perks for train riders who choose car-free transportation options once they’re in Santa Barbara including discount or free bike rentals and trolley rides.

The Urban Wine Trail which includes 28 wineries (Municipal Winemakers, Area 5.1 Winery, Fox Wine CO., Kunin Wines and more) is a solid way to be introduced to some of the finest wines of the area and all of the tasting rooms are within walking distance and are located in clusters just a few blocks apart from each other.

Guests can hang out at the beach, which is just a block or so away from the station, or head over to the Salt Cave (a six-minute Lyft, Uber or Yellow Cab ride from the station) for some relaxation. Music fans can also eat, drink and spend time with friends on the train ride up to the area to attend a concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl, which is just a 10-minute Uber, Lyft or Yellowcab ride from the station. Pacific Surfliner also stops in Simi Valley, Moorpark, Camarillo, Oxnard, Venteura, Carpinteria, Goleta, Surf, Guadalupe, Grover Beach and San Luis Obispo.

Kelli Skye Fadroski lives for entertainment. She’s worked at The Orange County Register since 2006 and has covered all things music, stand-up comedy, horror and more. When she’s not out reviewing a concert or interviewing some random famous person, she’s catching up on episodes of 'The Walking Dead,' somewhere sampling craft beer, enjoying Taco Tuesday or yelling at the contestants through the TV on 'Celebrity Name Game' for not knowing basic pop culture trivia. She’s also a diehard Detroit Lions fan.